Great Bend homes will be spruced up on 'Damn It, Do It Day!'

Houses in the 900 block of Jefferson Street will receive an exterior makeover June 12 as part of the "Damn It, Do It Day!"

GREAT BEND — A little less talk and a lot more action. That’s the thought for Great Bend’s first “Damn it, Do it Day!” on Saturday. A community effort will help make a section of Great Bend a better place to live by giving the block an exterior makeover.

Sara Hayden, one of the coordinators, says the group identified the 900 block of Jefferson Street as their first project to spruce up.

"There are some really great people on this block," said Hayden. "You never know what caused people to get where they are at with their houses. Different things in life may have made them unable to keep up with their homes. We can start to make a difference and do that for them."

Work on the block will be from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a celebratory block party to follow. There will be five to six houses on the block where volunteers will handle projects like mowing, trimming, painting, putting up fence and planting flowers. Sponsors Brentwood Builders and Justin In Time Remodeling will be handling larger exterior projects during the same time.

Coordinator Ryan Fairchild hopes the initiative will help inspire constant improvement and pride within the community.

"We're pushing one big day but this is about mindset," said Fairchild. "We want people to look at things more positively. If you're walking downtown and see a piece of trash...damn it, pick it up. We want to help build more civic pride and get people proud of Great Bend."